Diamond's City Detective Tales
by G.R.W
Summary: If follows after the Sole Survivor ended her quest. Nick Valentine goes back to Diamond City, where he resumes his work as a Private Investigator.
1. Chapter I

**Diamond's City**

 **Detective Tales**

* * *

 **Chapter .I.**

* * *

 _'Death marches across the plains of the living._

 _Holding in one arm a tome of the dead and in the other his executioner, his Scythe._

 _It walks slowly, patient, wise, and imminent._

 _It'll soon be near you._

 _And when the time is right,_

 _It'll end you...'_

* * *

It was a rainy day. 24th of september, 2293, when a woman entered the gates of our city, seeking the aid of our very well known detective, Nick Valentine.

Accompanied by the local peace keepers, she made her way through the little shops and stalls of, probably, the most fascinating post-war city in the commonwealth.

'We're gonna take a left here, then right into a small alley. So, don't panic, I won't harm you.', began the man that escorted her to Valentine's office.

The woman nodded her head, in response.

'Good.', replied the guard.

...

'Valentine, we had a deal !', shouted a man, as the woman and security guard entered the detective's establishment.

He was fat, fair haired and stood up after he punched the table, clenching his teeth.

'Listen, I have not agreed to your deal. That was hearsay, you didn't knew who did it-'

'I knew ! He-'

'You knew shit ! If you'd known, why come to me ?'

'Beca-'

'Because you wanted to be sure... Right ? Well, I told you he didn't do it. And that I'll keep looking.', Nick interrupted, standing up from his chair. 'He didn't do it, Vic, he just didn't do it...'. he paused, looking at the man on the other side of the desk. 'I'll keep looking into it, Vic. And I'll find her. You came to me, now, I ask you to trust me. I'll solve this.'.

'All right, Valentine. Keep me informed.', said the man, grabbing his fedora from the detective's desk.

'I will.', responded Nick.

Then Vic, turned towards the door. The two, moved aside so he could open it and leave.

Nick then, focused his attention towards the woman. 'Nick Valentine. Private Investigator. What can I help you with, miss ?'

When she stepped forward into the light emitted by the damp lightbulb. Nick noticed certain marks around her ankles and neck and a cut near her left eye. He also noticed that under her clothes, she had bandages around her abdomen. And who knows what else.

'Please, take a seat.', he continued, sitting as well.

When the woman approached and sat across the desk, Nick noticed fresh wounds on her left hand, around her knuckles. And blood under her finger nails. She quickly hid them, by making a fist, and covering her left hand with her right one.

Her green eyes looked straight into Nick's, without any intention of looking away, it seemed.

'Well, go on. Tell him what you told me.', continued the guard.'

When she tried to speak, her voice made an odd squeak.

'Ellie, give her some water.', said Nick. Ellie, quickly grabbed a glass and poured some water in it, then placed it on the desk in front of the woman.

She grabbed the glass in her hands, drinking it as if she had not even one drop of water for days.

Ellie took the glass and refilled it. The woman drained that one too. Her hands trembled while she drank it.

'Thank you...', she spoke softly. 'My name is Ashley Arnolds, I'm a friend of the cleaner. And I was a-', she entered a state of shock, convulsion. Fell down with the chair in which she sat.

'Valentine, do something !', said the guard. Who rushed to catch her as she fell. Now he was near her, holding her hand.

'I can't do anything for her anymore. Her heart is going to stop any time now. Did she carry anything with her ? A bag, a backpack, or a satchel ?'

'So, we're to watch her die ?', asked the guard.

'Larry, did she have anything with her ?'

'A backpack, it's at the gate.', he answered, while Nick, walked to the door. 'Where are you going ?'.

'To get that backpack. You stay here with Ellie.'

'Right...', replied the guard, looking at the woman, who just after Nick closed the door, stopped shaking. 'She's...gone. Dammit.'

'Her condition was very poor, who knows when she last had any sleep, food or water.', said Ellie. 'Don't touch her or move anything near her. And wait until Nick comes back.'.

'Has something like this happened before ?', asked Larry.

'No. But, I trust Nick.', she said, grabbing a stack of files and placing them in a drawer of Nick's desk.

...

Nick hurried, towards the gate, bolting out of the alley, and past the market, towards the stairs.

'Hey, Valentine, a bird chirped to me about a case-'

'Not now, Piper !', he interrupted, hurrying up the stairs. Piper frowned and followed the synth.

* * *

'Monroe.'

'Ah, Nick, how are you ?'

'Fine. The woman that entered the city this morning, she had a backpack. Give it to me.'

'Sure. Here it is.'. Monroe, gave Nick the backpack, which he opened, inside he found documents. And a holotape, with the letters 'A.R.K', written on with a marker.

'Hey...', Piper said as she was leaning on the wall, near the stairs, breathing heavily. 'You're pretty quick for a piece of two hundred years old scrap metal. Hoh, what's in that rugged rucksack ?', she approached Nick. 'What ? You won't tell me ?'

'I think you answered your own question.', responded Nick, heading back to his office.

'I'll find out ! Nothing stays hidden if I want it to be found !'.

'See you later, Wright.', continued Valentine, walking up the stairs.

'Wright ! You call me like that when you're annoyed !', she said, following Nick.

'Yes, you annoy me.'

'Oh, Nick, that...doesn't hurt, actually. People called me worse.', Piper replied, now catching up to Nick.

'Look, kid. Why don't you drop this ? Go home and write about whatever is it that you write nowadays. What about that ?

'I will. After you answer a couple of questions.'

'Later, is five alright ? I'm kinda busy right now.'

'Fine.', she answered. 'But, I'm a bit curious about that rucksack, what's up with it ?'

'I'll tell you at five !', insisted Nick.

'Fine, don't get all moody with me...', replied Piper unsatisfied. She then stopped following him when he passed her home.

...

The door of Valentine's Detective Agency, opened with a screech.

'Nick.', began Ellie. 'Have you found anything ?'.

'I did...', he replied, as he sat the backpack on a cabinet, then leaned near his client, searching for clues.

'So ? What is it ?', asked Larry, now kneeling next to Valentine.

'I need you to get out.', said Nick, looking at him.

'What ? Why ?'.

'There is nothing you can do, or help me with at this moment. Don't take it the wrong way. I'll handle it from here on out. Thank you for bringing her here.'

'But, she's dead. There is no case...'.

'You misunderstood the whole thing, kid. That's why she asked for me. Now let me do my job.', said Nick. While Larry, got up.

'Will you tell me if you find something ?', asked Larry, before heading towards the door.

'I will.', answered Valentine. The guard nodded and walked out the door.

Ellie looked at Nick, and smiled.

'What ?'

'You won't tell him, why lie ?', she said.

'Because sometimes one lie is better than a thousand truths.'.


	2. Chapter II

**Chapter .II.**

* * *

 _'What is evil ?_

 _If not the opposite of good...'_

* * *

Few hours later, past 5PM, more exactly.

At Nick's office.

The hour at which Nick was supposed to meet Piper and answer some of the questions she had. Answers that were set to appear in the tomorrow's issue of Publick Occurrences.

'I don't think that is true...', said Ellie.

'You think so ?', asked Nick, looking for any marks on the woman's body.

'I feel it. She doesn't look the type.', Ellie continued.

'If we choose to throw that possibility out, then, what we have left are a coincidence, a mystery, or just bad luck on my part...'.

Ellie took off the woman's shirt and bandages to learn more about what stopped her heart. The woman's upper body was riddled with scars and small cuts, some old others new. However, some of the fresher ones, were held shut by stitches, and some had been opened. Nick pointed out that she had two ribs broken, but none of the two pierced her lung.

She also had few needle marks near her ankles.

So, drug abuse was still a cause of death.

'We could ask Dr. Sun to analize the blood for drug substances.'.

'Or I could bring someone from Goodneighbor...', continued Nick. 'They might know this stuff better...'.

* * *

'Nothing seems more disturbing to me than one's lack of faith.', a man's voice resonated within the rusty skeleton of an old warehouse in a place where once was a boatyard.

Dressed in a black jumpsuit, and wore a black leather coat and vintage round black sunglasses.

'Do you remember when you came to us ? Sick ? Hungry ? Alone and afraid ?', the man continued with a calm tone.

'Because those big, righteous men and women in Diamond City threw you out ?', he paused as walked around a man that was on his knees, blindfolded, having his hands and legs tied with rope, with a piece of cloth that reeked of piss in his mouth. 'You, Aaron. You were thrown out because you killed a man and stole his possessions.'.

The kneeled man muffled something.

'No ! I don't like em' one bit, Aaron. But, I found something that I and those idiots have in common. You.'.

He leaned behind the man.

'You, fucked us both ! But, this is the last time, Aaron. This time, you don't just get evicted from heaven alone.', he made a hand gesture towards a man near the door. 'This time you'll have companions.', A man walked through the door, holding a woman by her crimson hair, and threw her near Aaron.

'Huh.', smirked the man. 'Look who joined this uneventful demotion.', he approached the woman, and lifted her head, holding her by the jaw. 'Hmm, say hi to Aaron with those pretty lips of yours, will you ? Say it !'.

She smiled, then, she spat him in the face, right between the eyes.

'Fucking whore...', he said calmly, then slapped her with the back of his hand.

Blood began to slide down her chin, from the right corner of her mouth.

He wiped the woman's spit off his face with his sleeve.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at the two people in front of him.

'This is a beautiful day, Aaron. You'll hear something every real man wants to hear during his life. But, you're not a real man, Aaron. No. You, are a coward, a lesser man. A shame to all mankind. Yet, I, will allow you to know.'.

Aaron muffled once more, this time with rage.

The man smiled.

'You Aaron. You, are about to hear good news. So why so unsatisfied ? You feel this is unfair ? That you were cheated ? No, no, no, no. You ! Aaron, are in this position today by several right reasons. Nothing that will happen here today is without reason. Nothing that happened ever was. Your own choices brought you to this point in time. Your choices alone.', he placed his hand on Aaron's head, and caressed his hair. 'I know that at this moment you think...If there was a slight possibility to go back in time, you'd change everything. You'd give anything, for a time machine...But that is bullshit. Only cowards can't deal with the truth and consequences. Cowards, like you. Aaron.'.

'Tell him my dear. Your words will hurt him more than mine.'.

She was moved closer to Aaron, by the man that brought her. Pushing her head near his ear.

'Tell him !', the man yelled, and leaned near them to hear her say the words.

She whispered them in his ear. Aaron's jaws tensed. The man smiled.

'Huh, how do you feel ? I told you they were good news. I bet you feel numb right now.', he breathed in some air, smiling. 'That, feeling. I remember it too. It is, overwhelming. Happiness never felt like this before. The point in a man's life which gifts him, purpose, for the years to come. But, sadly, for you Aaron it won't happen. No, your purpose right now, today, is to die by the bullet of my gun. That's it. Now, in your thick skull will appear an old pal of yours, regret. It's appearance is pointless, and it won't help your current situation. But, hey, you are going to be a father, you should be proud of that. You worked hard for that didn't you ? All the ups and downs of your relationship with this woman. The love you two share for one another, it's the stuff that makes fairy tales and good love stories that later are made into movies.'.

He stopped and took another deep breath, looking at the blue sky through the broken roof of the warehouse. Then shook his head and looked at the two, surprised.

'Huh ?! You didn't get any of the things I said ? What ?! You didn't go through those beautiful moments ? Ah ! Shame on you ! What ? Did Aaron just spew his goo inside you in the unfaithful evening you just met ? I am shocked !', he shook his head in disapproval. 'But, it shows so well, how you my dear were dragged into the mess of this man. It's a shame. But I promised him he won't go alone. Not this time. And I keep all my promises.'.

He looked at them for a while. Then set his eyes on the woman.

'I also know you helped him. I know of your little love story. And I am really sorry it has to end so soon. It must've been very nice. The sex, I bet it was great, wasn't it ? Aaron ? Nothing ? Silence, most of the times is a positive answer. Other times is just silence...', he smiled, again.

'Aaron. It's time. I prolonged this show a bit too much...', he cocked his gun, and shot one bullet.

Aaron moved his head right then left where he stopped, his breath began to tremble.

'Good assertion, Aaron. Here, let me help you.', he grabbed Aaron by the head and led him to her, placing his face on her abdomen. 'There she is. She's still breathing. She's looking at you. In there, is your two months old, unborn child.', he stroked the woman's abdomen gently. 'We are witness to the miracle which is life. I wonder if it's a boy or a girl, don't you ? Did you know that at this point the sex is chosen ? It already developed into a tiny, little human, with a tiny beating heart, and a little brain, arms and legs. Did you ?', he placed his gun on the back of Aaron's head. 'Sadly, this is a very common misuse of the word 'miracle'. A miracle is something unnatural, yet, giving birth is as natural as it gets. We know how it happens. Thousands of years ago one would say the bullet that is about to pierce your skull and your unborn child, is a miracle, because they wouldn't know the science behind it.'.

His finger slowly slid on the trigger.

'Say your goodbyes, Aaron. If you believe in a divine entity, say your prayers. If it helps in any way, there is no god that wants to save you. And there is nothing after this, at least not for you...', he closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. 'It's been nice to know you Aaron. You helped me understand, that, I should never allow other people such as yourself take advantage of my good side. I want you to know, that, I forgive you. So, let this gun be the instrument through which I impose my forgiveness. Allow the bullet, to be the unmoved stone, which settles this dispute between you and I. And let your blood be the welcome sign that our feud has been put behind. I forgive you, Aaron.', he squeezed the trigger, that set in motion the bullet. BANG !

'Rest In Peace...'.

~ Big Bad John playing, by Jimmy Dean. as the man in the black coat walks away from the warehouse, accompanied by four tall men. This windy day of September picked up and carried the dust that sat on the old boatyard west. It was warm still, the sun was burning bright on the clear blue sky. The few concrete constructions north of the boatyard had a grayish to black nuance, as an old rusty stop sign was moved by the wind, with a high screech. ~


End file.
